Kill the Mask
by Kenshin Akagi
Summary: A change of occupation gave the Capitol the greatest scientific mind to date. However, Dr. Ryugamine perishes just as his experiments on Artificial Teigu comes to fruition. All he leaves behind is his son, Tatsumi, who shall serve the Capitol as loyally as his father...and who may hold the key to recreating those weapons...


_A brown haired man stood in the middle of a snow covered village, a jacket wrapped around him. He occasionally adjusted it, showing to an particularly observant person that he was not native to the region. He watched as a small boy, the same brown hair as his own, run around the village square. The man checked his watch and raised his voice to be heard over the sound of the children's playing. "Tatsumi! Come here!"_

_The boy looked up, ignoring a snowball launched at him by a black haired boy. He blinked, and asked hesitantly, "Dad?"_

_The man nodded, extending his arms to catch the small child who immediately wrapped his tiny arms around him._

_"Come, Tatsumi." The man ordered, placing his son back on the ground and turning to leave. Tatsumi held the bottom of his jacket, sharing stories while the man gave an occasional grunt of recognition._

_When the father and son entered their house, the man interrupted his son. "Do you want to be stronger, Tatsumi?" The question was asked with a slightly joking tone, and a warm pat on the head._

_The young boy known as Tatsumi gave a cute pout as his hair was ruffled, but smiled at the comforting presence of his father. "Of course! I'll become super strong, and work for the Empire, just like you!" He yelled out excitedly. His father laughed, patting his head once more._

_"Hold on to your goals, Tatsumi...don't give up." Tatsumi looked up questioningly at him, feeling a sharp poke in his neck. The last thing he saw as he slipped into darkness was his father raising his gloved hands, and a single whisper._

_"Perfectionist."_

* * *

><p>Tatsumi sat up in his bed, looking outside the window at the white expanse of snow covering his village. He looked at the glow the moon was giving off, and yawned at the realization that it was far too early in the morning for him to be getting up.<p>

But that dream...

Tatsumi lied back down, his arms underneath his head, just staring up at the blank ceiling as though it could offer the answers he sought for. He had not thought of that event for years...

He had been seven when his father returned from the Capitol, on break from his job. Tatsumi had no clue what job his father exactly had; his father was insanely secretive. The only hint Tatsumi had ever gleaned from him was something about artificial Teigu, whatever those were.

His father had only stayed a few days, spending most of his time in his own room. He'd occasionally check in Tatsumi, who unfortunately fell with sickness shortly after his father's arrival.

_'I wish he could see me recently, though...'_ He thought to himself, clutching his fist. He had excelled in his swordsmanship over the years, becoming the greatest swordsman his village had seen in years.

_'And soon I can put it to good use...'_

Today was the day where Tatsumi would put his skills to the test, and finally leave his village for the Empire. His village was starving, and it was up to him to save them. He would join the military, amassing enough funds to keep his village thriving for years to come.

He glanced once more outside of the window, a light breeze coming in and gliding across his face. He stood from his bed, placing his face against the cool glass.

His mind whirred with thought. He was supposed to wait for Sayo and Ieyasu, and the three would travel together to reach the Capitol. But Tatsumi couldn't wait for them...

_'The Capitol...my father is there.'_

He knew this, a thought always on the darkest corner of his mind. His father, who he had not seen in years, was in the Empire. Tatsumi knew he could get to the Capitol quickly if he was alone; he was fairly good with directions, and could survive on his own in the wild.

_'Besides,'_ He began to rationalize to himself. _'Sayo and Ieyasu are strong; they'll be able to make it to the Capitol without me.'_

His mind settled, he drew his face away from the window, gently placing his hand atop the cold frost from the mornings coldness. He turned, grabbed his satchel (already packed) and his sword, attaching the sheathe to his back.

"I'll go ahead..." He muttered to himself, closing his house door and beginning the trek out of the village. "I'll find my father, and secure a job in the military for me and the others."

Tatsumi reached the entrance to the village, and with one last look behind him, set off.

* * *

><p>Gauri Heiwajima was a simple man. He lived his life in the countryside, eventually moving to the Capitol for a chance to join the Imperial Army. He was unfortunately too late to join that batch of recruits; he would have to wait for the next sign ups the following month. Penniless, Gauri had prepared himself to sleep on the streets.<p>

And then that Devil in a maidens skin came along. And just as the snake offered Eve the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, Aria offered Gauri a place to stay for the night. Blissfully unaware of the corruption festering the hearts of those who called the Capitol home, he accepted.

Then his eyes were forced open.

They gave him a bed that night, and he slept wonderfully, until a sound woke him in the middle of the night. He had looked outside his window, and saw a sight that horrified him.

A man, thousands of whiplashes covering his back and pieces of skin falling off, had emerged from the shed that Gauri had not been allowed to enter. The man looked wildly around, before racing towards one of the windows of the mansion, breaking through it.

Gauri had rushed out of bed, grabbed his sword and intercepted the strange man on his way to Aria's room. Gauri had sliced the mans one good arm with one quick draw of his blade; there was a reason he employed for the Army. Aria's family found him over the now crippled man, and had thanked him profusely. That is, until Gauri explained seeing the man emerge from the locked shed.

Their faces had shifted, from thankful and kind to plotting and cruel. Aria's father then took Gauri to the shed, dragging the crippled intruder with them. Gauri almost puked from the sight that greeted him; men and women alike were tied from the ceiling, and Gauri could tell by smell alone that not all were still amongst the living. A few people were locked in cells, coughing painfully.

Aria's father made Gauri an ultimatum. He could either serve as their bodyguard, keeping their secrets hidden, or he could join the hell of those hidden within the shed.

Gauri swore to serve them, not feeling any guilt at joining their secret. And that was what scared him the most, knowing that he was as rotten as these torturers.

He was currently standing guard near Aria as they walked around the Capitol, the young woman grabbing hundreds of boxes for her shopping quota. If she wasn't so addicted to killing innocent people, Gauri would call her a typical teenage girl.

He sighed, briefly adjusting his weight to get more comfortable as the large box he was holding was putting strain even on his muscles. This was a mistake, however, as a girl bumped into his side, dragging a brown haired boy along just behind her. Gauri fell into a puddle of mud, luckily managing to throw the boxes just out of the way of the splash radius.

"That girl was from the royal guard..." Aria mentioned, before looking at Gauri's muddy coat with disdain. She withdrew a small pouch of gold, and handed it to the bodyguard. "Hurry up and buy a new coat. Make sure it's cheap, then meet us back at the mansion." She turned around, the other guards following behind her as they carried her presents.

Gauri stood, brushing a bit of mud from his coat and placing the pouch in his pocket. If he needed to get one which was cheap, he supposed he could always just get one from the slums. Adjusting the white hat upon his head and scratching the stubble making up his beard, he began walking.

He approached the slums cautiously, his palm ready to grab a hold of his sword at a moments notice. His worry was, thankfully, unfounded, as the residents of the slums paid him a mere glance before going back to their daily rituals. He let a sigh of relief briefly leave him, before getting back to the task at hand.

Walking through the many stalls forming the slums infrastructure, he finally managed to arrive at a rather run down looking shop, even when compared to the other vendors. Ignoring the curious glance a blonde woman sent him, Gauri entered the shop.

The shopkeeper was sitting behind a desk, and began speaking right when Gauri was about to pose his question. "Coats and armor, third rack on the left." Gauri nodded to show he had heard, and began searching in the aforementioned section.

He felt the material used in each of them, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of their making. The material was rather lackluster, but the workmanship was impressive, most likely giving even the personal fashion designers of the Nobles a run for their money.

He continue poking around the rack, but stopped his hand in a strange jerking motion. He felt his hand guide itself deeper behind the rack, withdrawing a white coat that looked almost like Imperial armor. The material was definitely high grade, and it felt...good, in Gauri's hands.

He brought the coat back to the old man, and laid it upon the desk. The old man glanced at it, and held out a wrinkled palm. "Two gold pieces." Gauri nodded, relieved at the low price, and dropped two gold coins in his hand which disappeared in a flash of old skin. The old man gave a crooked grin. "Feel free to return it whenever you like, but remember- no refunds!"

Gauri nodded, and began leaving the store. Aria would get mad if he were late...

* * *

><p>Tatsumi stepped into the Capital, smiling as he saw the sun beginning to rise behind the colossal palace.<p>

_'The Capitol...it really is beautiful...'_

He stayed in place for a few minutes, before his earlier goal came back to him. Giving his pack a better position on his shoulder, he patted a large amount of money on the side of his pants. Despite practically rushing to the Capitol, he had been forced to fight dozens of Danger Beasts en route. A week long trip now turned to a week and a half...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stretched his back and began to enter the Capitol gates. The two men on duty let him in with little fuss, and Tatsumi watched with excited eyes as people began going about their normal, mundane lives.

_'Alright! Time to join the army!'_ He thought excitedly, pumping a fist in the air and conveniently ignoring the citizens who walked around him and called him 'Country Bumpkin'.

He smirked, striding confidentially through the streets that were beginning to fill. He knew that joining the army would be easy for him...if he could just find the registration office.

"WHERE THE HELL IS IT?!" He yelled, clutching his head in anger. Several people made wide turns to avoid walking in his general area. _'Grah, all these people walking around me...Its not like I'm crazy or something!'_

He moved his head side to side, trying to find some indication of where to go. His attempts to ask for assistance were met in vain as the locals would make great strides to be busy with something just as Tatsumi walked up to them. Honestly, how many people just so happen to be carrying heavy boxes that totally require their complete attention?

Sending a pouty glare to a pink haired woman who pretended to be focused completely on carrying her bag of dresses, Tatsumi slouched up against the wall of a random shop, staring at the blue sky. _'How the hell can I find dad if I can't even find the registration office...'_ He thought sullenly, sighing in resignation.

"Are you okay, sir?"

Tatsumi suddenly found his vision blocked off by a cute girl with long, caramel covered hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a armor over her top, and a small white and black...'dog' at her side. At least, Tatsumi thought it was a dog...

The brown haired boy nodded, and stood up, brushing some dirt from his jeans. "Yeah. Nothing to worry about here..." Realization of who he was talking to finally struck him. "Wait, you're in the Imperial Guard, right?"

The girl nodded, letting off a quick salute and snapping to attention. Her dog, amusingly, did the same. "My name is Seryu Ubiquitous of the Imperial Guard, at your service!" She said, smiling. Tatsumi nodded, slightly speechless from her personality. Dropping her salute, she looked at him curiously. "And? What is your name?"

Tatsumi scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ah, I don't think it'll be as...dramatic as you, but my name is Tatsumi. Tatsumi Ryugamine" He said, briefly shaking Seryu's hand and looking nervously as her dog began sniffing his leg. He mentally prepared himself to move his legs at speeds unheard of to avoid becoming a dogs bathroom.

Seryu smiled, picking up the dog. "Well, Tatsumi! Koro here says that you don't smell like evil! So that's a good thing! What brings you to the Capitol?"

Tatsumi gave a nervous smile. "I was actually looking for the Army registration office...but, uh...I can't find it..." He explained meekly, his eyes shut as he scratched the back of his head. His eyes shot open when Seryu suddenly grabbed a hold of his hand and began running, Koro clutched in her other hand.

"I'll bring you there, Tatsumi! It's Justice's duty to always help those in need!" She yelled out, not even pausing as she bumped a man into a pile of mud. "As a member of the Imperial Guard, I'll bring you there! Why do you want to join, if I can ask?"

Forcing himself to try and match her speed, which surprisingly wasn't hard, Tatsumi began to explain. "My dad always told me of the Capitol, and how he works for it. It's always been my dream to work for the Capitol my dad worked for, and I'm really in need of money to send back to my village." At this, Seryu finally stopped. She leaned in rather close to the country boy, looking at him from nearly every angle while Koro began a whole new round of sniffing.

Seemingly pleased with what she saw, Seryu smiled and nodded. "Then you and I are the same, Tatsumi! I joined the Imperial Guard to protect the Capitol and show evil the force of Justice, just as my father did..." She briefly trailed off, before speaking again with more strength. "If you really need money, and if you truly want to help the Capitol, you should the Imperial Guard. Our payments are a bit more reliable, and you really get to make the Capitol a great place to live!"

Her face darkened, and she looked to a few wanted posters on the wall next to them. "Especially now...a group of murderers are targeting innocent people in the Capitol, just because they can... Night Raid...I've never seen anything so evil..."

Tatsumi looked at the wanted posters, looking at the faces presented in them. _'How evil can they be...that they make someone as nice as Seryu become so angry?!'_ His face hardening as he realized the Capitol faced its own problems, Tatsumi let his eyes return to Seryu, who seemingly began to recover from her brief bout of anger.

She gave a smile at his expression, and patted him happily on the shoulder. "I can see it in your eyes! You want to protect the innocent from this evil, right?" She happily stated, looking pleased with finding someone as Justice-driven as her. Koro happily squirmed in her arms.

Tatsumi nodded. "Yeah...my father told me to never let go of my goals, no matter what. I'll stop Night Raid, and find my dad."

"This just convinced me even more! You'll be perfect for the Imperial Guard, I'll put in a word with Captain Ogre!" She exclaimed, grabbing Tatsumi's hands with both of her own. Tatsumi absentmindedly noted they were soft, but the feeling could not stay with him as she yet again began to pull him along side her.

They raced through the relatively busy streets of the Capitol, excitement bounding their steps as they ran towards destiny.

They finally stopped in front of a large building, Imperial Guards walking in and out at their leisure. A few nodded to Seryu as they passed, giving Tatsumi a cursory glance at best. Tatsumi was in awe of them, and by sight alone could tell they were strong.

_'These are the people who defend the Capitol. They...really look strong.'_

Seryu pulled open the door, waving her arm to show the inside of the Station. "Here ya go, Tatsumi! I welcome you to Imperial Guard HQ!"

The interior of the building looked grey and unwelcoming, but Tatsumi supposed the place could-to a loyal guard- appear as a sort of home given enough time to get used to the dull colors. A bulletin board was in the corner, wanted posters covering it. Tatsumi noticed that the Night Raid members were featured predominantly in the center. A desk was placed attached to the wall, a guard tapping tiredly against its surface.

Seryu pointed at a large door behind the desk, which opened to reveal a practical giant of a man, with black hair that was graying near his temples and an unusual hairstyle with four ponytails or braids on the back of his head wrapped in white cloth. He had a large star-shaped scar over his missing left eye, while his remaining eye was red with a black sclera. He grinned at the sight of Seryu and Tatsumi, showing remarkably sharp teeth.

Seryu saluted the man, while Tatsumi tried to not recoil in sight of him. The man laughed, and made his way over to the two teens. "Who you got there, Seryu?" He asked in a deep threatening voice. It took Tatsumi a second to realize this was his normal voice.

"A potential recruit, Captain Ogre!" She said, gently nudging Tatsumi forward. Ogre leered down at Tatsumi, and gave a dark chuckle.

"Doesn't look like much, Seryu..."

"But I'm certain of it! He's a fellow Hero of Justice!" Seryu continued to defend Tatsumi, and Ogre's smile grew. He looked back towards the country boy, scanning him with his eye.

His smile slightly dipped, but he asked, "You look somewhat familiar. What's your name?"

Tatsumi gulped, but figured it would be best to tell the monster of a man. "T-Tatsumi. Tatsumi Ryugamine from Gyousha Village."

For a brief, almost unnoticeable moment, a strange flash of recognition appeared in Ogre's eye. His posture seemed to change, as though ready to defend from assault, before immediately relaxing. His smile came back up, though noticeably...stretched. "Ryugamine, eh? Well...if Seryu thinks you can last, then it'll be fine by me. Get yourself a suit." Ogre stated, before withdrawing himself from the room in a slightly hurried pace.

Tatsumi stood there, silently comprehending what had just happened. A smile began to appear on his face, a truly happy, innocent smile. He threw his fist in the air, and began to cheer. "I...I'm in!"

Seryu clapped her hands together, an action mimicked by Koro. "Congrats, Tatsumi!" Tatsumi surprised her by pulling her into a hug, before quickly realizing what he had done and letting her go.

"It's all thanks to you, Seryu! I look forward to helping you fight evil!" Tatsumi said, his grin massive. He could finally save his village...he could finally find his father.

* * *

><p>Gauri leaned against the hallway wall, gazing disinterestedly outside. Aria and her parents had already went to rest, so Gauri and the other guards were patrolling the house. He yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Aria had kept him out late in order to find more country travelers to 'help'.<p>

The guard snorted in disdain. Help to an early grave, that is. Sometimes he would think about telling the Imperial Guard about the families crimes, though he would quickly banish the thought. Even if he did reveal it, Aria's father could always bribe the Guard Captain and have Gauri arrested for the crimes instead. It wouldn't be the first time a man was forced to pay for the sins of another...

A presence began to fill the mansion, one that had Gauri stiffen in fear. There was someone powerful nearby...focusing his gaze outside of the window, he saw a group of people standing on what appeared to be...strings? Yes, those were strings. The red moon was placed in the heavens behind them.

Night Raid.

Gauri softly smiled. This was how he would die, eh? Forced to fight against a group of Teigu users using only his skill, fighting for a family that spread anguish...

Truly, what a rotten person he was.

He clasped the blade in his hand, placing the feeling of its worn handle in his mind. "Well...it seems that this will be our last day together." He said it to his sword, but also to the Earth, the Heavens, the very existence around him. It was time to face his judgement.

It was time for death, and his entrance into Hell.

Gauri walked quickly to the front door, absentmindedly hitting the alert button for the Imperial Guard. The button was mainly for show, as Aria and her family knew that any guards would stand a chance of finding the bodies in the shed. Hitting the button was equal to getting on both knees and begging to be tortured in the shed, while also downing five servings of poison.

Of course, due to Gauri's foretelling of his own death, he felt that he should at least take down the family's operation at the same time. Perhaps mercy could be shown? Ah, but one good act does not Heaven grant access to.

He and the other guards emerged from the doorway, blocking Night Raids access to the castle. Gauri counted the members in front of him. A black haired girl with red eyes...Akame, wielder of the 'One-Kill' Murasame. A man in a white armor...Bulat. A man with green hair, a glove with wires emerging from it...unknown. He did look slightly familiar, though. A pink haired girl in a dress, with a massive gun in her hands...another unknown.

Gauri glanced to one of the windows as blood splattered upon it from the inside. He turned back to the Assassins in front of him, his spirits raised at the thought of the family dying. Perhaps karmic retribution was true after all? Or was this perhaps Divine?

He withdrew his sword, and spoke for the benefit of the fellow guards. "That katana...don't let it scratch you." He rushed forward, bring his sword up to match an already moving Akame, but even as he moved he knew he was too slow...

_'Ah...a fitting end for one as rotten as I...'_

But suddenly he felt a sensation race across his armor, as it tightened around his form. His armor and hat glowed a brilliant white, before the sensation faded. Words filled Gauri's mind as he pointed his sword straight up, which now had a much broader edge.

_**"Perfect Defense! Admantoise!"**_

Night Raid stood in shock as he activate his Teigu, and he smiled as he began racing forward. The difference between the past him and the one with the Teigu was incredible; his speed was subtly boosted, and Gauri somehow knew that no Attack could even hope of touching him behind the armor.

Akame was the first to react, striking him with a slash that even Gauri's enhanced reflexes couldn't keep track of. Just before the blade could make contact with his armor, however, it struck clear hexagonal plates that materialized from midair. The force of the blocked slash forced Akame to stumble slightly, which Gauri took advantage of, bringing his sword to slam into her side.

Akame winced but went with the blow, landing safely a few feet away. Gauri turned to attack her again, but had to bring his blade up to block a powerful swing of Bulat.

"Nice Teigu," his armor clad opponent complimented, drawing Gauri's confusion, "but Incursio is still too strong for you." Bulat brought his lance back up, and stabbed it under Gauri's blade to stab into his side. Again the Hexagonal Plates materialized, briefly stopping the blow before cracking and shattering into the air. Bulat was forced back by the kinetic energy backlashing against him, and Gauri moved forward to press the advantage.

At least, that was his plan. A sound like a gunshot went off, and Gauri felt pain as he was enveloped in a blast from the pink haired girls Teigu. He slide back, feeling his wounds begin to slowly heal thanks to his Teigu, Admantoise.

Their battle was interrupted as two new additions made their presence known on Night Raids side. The first was a beautiful woman with long purple hair and a Chinese dress, glasses adorning her face and a large, bloody pair of scissors held in her hands.

The second was, yet again, a rather beautiful woman with long blonde hair and an ample bust. A long white scarf trailed to her mid back, a pair of black tights being the only protection for her nether regions. A belt was worn around her waist, and a lions tail stretched out lazily behind it. The woman also had cat like ears, and large paws for hands.

Gauri looked between all of the assassins, smiled, and launched forward to fight.

**AN: Alright, everyone. Got some really bad news. I'm going on a rather slow update process for all of my stories; I'm trying to write longer, more fulfilling chapters. Not only that, but I unfortunately have some more stories I'm dropping...**

**-Heir of Gato**

**-Grinning Fox**

**If anyone wants those two stories, PM me an ill give you the basic outline for them.**


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